Ten
days ago, I was elected to the Board of Directors for OSHaRE - the Owen Sound
Hunger and Relief Effort. When I told a
friend of my decision, she said to me, "You must be crazy. When will you find time for that?" Good question.
It's
not really a question of time, though.
It's more a question of how to live a good life. From that perspective, I don't see that
there's much choice; I can't live a good life unless I'm in life.
What
made my decision to join the OSHaRE Board easy was a book that I was
reading. The author, an American, was
describing the downfall of western society.
He was writing about how the gap between those "with" and
those "without" was expanding faster than ever before. He gave examples of how governments at every
level are under pressure to provide essential social services without the
resources to do that effectively. He
wrote that when society starts to struggle with these challenges, the ones who
suffer most are those who rely on the compassion, generosity and kindness of
others. The author wrote that societies
will ultimately fail if the level of civic engagement falls below a certain critical
point.
In
management terms, civic engagement is defined as "the process of helping
people become active participants in building and strengthening their
communities, whether defined as a place, or a shared identity or
interest." In Christian terms,
civic engagement is defined more simply;
we call it the Golden Rule and it goes like this: Do unto others as you would
have them do unto you.
The
soup kitchen at OSHaRE is a practical demonstration of the Golden Rule and an
opportunity for civic engagement. OSHaRE
is a community of sorts, just like our congregation is, just like our
neighbourhood is. Of course it will take
a bit of time and energy to be a member of the Board there. But, to be honest with you, it's no different
than the time I take every day to get some exercise, or to eat healthily. It's all part of living a good life - what
else am I to do?
Blessings
and peace to all.
Pat
Take This Thought Away
With You
The longest journey sometimes is
between your mind and your heart.
~ Tom B.K. Goldtooth, Native American activist ~
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